5 Flat Mountain Bike Pedals Tested and Reviewed | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

Sounds like a bit of creative accounting occurred before the sale, with a load of “assets” now written off

The cleats’ strength derives from a piece of spring steel. Basically, it’s a steel tongue that bites against the pedal. This is also where the tension and strength in the system derive. Unlike typical road cleats that adjust on the pedal, the Pitbull system adjusts from the cleat. Riders can adjust the cleat’s spring steel to make it stiffer or more flexible.

Crank Brothers have long been a popular alternative to Shimano’s dominance in the clipless pedal market, and the latest Mallet E takes the good bits from the Mallet DH pedal and bakes them into a lighter and slimmer down package that is well suited to trail riding and enduro racing. In taking the core ingredients of the successful Mallet DH and dropping a bit of weight and adding robust bearings and the traction pads, the Mallet E suit the demands of trail riding and enduro racing well, with a narrower Q-factor that feels more natural when pedalling over longer distances. 

Disagree with the Speedplay comments above. I moved to them this year and yes I hated them for a few weeks and was considering eBaying them.

“Sixpack Racing makes a lot of its own CNCed components in house. The Skywalker is the brands flagship pedal, and as such packs in a lot of features with a premium price. The most distinctive feature is the exposed axle, with a sealed compartment at each end for bearings. Those cutouts on the centre of the axle help…” Read the full review here.

These are indeed awesome: I still use 520 pedals with the SH56 cleats for my commute; I don’t think they can be beaten for stop-start over mixed terrain.

Just voted – flats obviously – poll is just like Brexit at the minute, 52 to 48 % ! If flats ‘win’ does that mean the clip users will be forced to change ?

Want to know more about all the other pedals on test? You can get your hands on the full feature from Issue #117 of Singletrack Magazine, which includes all reviews of the winning pedals along with a guide on what goes into making a high performance clip-in pedal. Head here to get a preview of the magazine, then get it shipped right to your door!

+1 for Speedplay. But if you’re not using Keepon Kovers with them then you probably have a death wish; the naked metal plates are like walking on ice.

661 Filter Asymmetrical construction with raised inner ankle protection prevents the ankle from hitting the crank arm and chainstay. $109 USD.

I can use SPDs comfortably, did for the first time on a road bike for a week on holiday, took to them quickly and didn’t fall off sideways once when stopping.

Ultegra pedals are one of those Goldilocks options that just offer the best combination of features and performance. They’re dependable, require virtually no maintenance and the wide platform offers a solid connection with your feet. There may be flashier models out there, but really, why would you need them?